Blue Christmas
by sweetcaroline
Summary: I'll have a blue Christmas without you. I'll be so blue just thinking about you... A LillyxOliver Christmas story.
1. Apple Pie

"Lillian, this is truly atrocious."

Lilly Truscott's sixteen-year-old brother Jameson snickered from his spot at the kitchen table. Lilly blew a blonde curl out of her eye and shot her brother a death glare. "Gramma," she said, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead, "It's not that big of a deal, just because I-"

"A-tro-cious," Martha "Gramma" Randall said slowly. She stared at the smoking, black, sort of attempt at an apple pie that sat on the counter. "Eighteen-years-old," she muttered, waving her hand through the smoke. "I swear to God when I was half your age I could've whipped up a seven course meal without even _thinking _of burning a thing."

Lilly rolled her blue eyes and flopped into the chair next to her brother exhaustedly. "Well that was the forties, Gramma, and-"

"Can you believe it?" Martha said, throwing her hands on her hips as she turned to look at Jameson. "Are you ashamed that your sister is _that _old and can't bake a simple pie?"

Jameson let out another peal of laughter and nodded. "It's hard for me to show my face at school," he said. "All the kids laugh at me."

Lilly stomped on her brother's foot under the table. "We could have just gotten a frozen one like I said!" she protested. "I could have made that one easily!"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Martha squealed, wagging a wrinkled finger. "As long as I am alive, no relation of mine will ever serve _frozen _anything."

Jameson leaned close to Lilly. "She's obviously never had any of Mom's cooking."

"What are you two hooligans laughing about?" Martha snapped, whipping her head around to glare at her two blonde grandchildren. Though she _could _be the stereotypical sit-in-a-rocking-chair-and-knit kind of old lady, when it came to the kitchen, she got _serious. _

"Nothing, Gramma," Lilly replied slowly, an innocent grin spreading across her face.

"I was just laughing at how Lilly is eighteen-years-old and is still unable to make a simple apple pie," Jameson quickly added.

"It really is bad," Lilly agreed. "I'm so _stupid._ Why did I ever choose to go to college? And all the while, my good friends – oh Gramma, I think you know them: Martha Stewart, Paula Dean, and Betty Crocker? – sat at home in Malibu learning to be the good homemakers that they are."

"Don't you sass me, Lillian Anne Truscott," Martha said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "You are on thin ice, young lady, thin ice."

The doorbell rang and Lilly shot out of her seat. "Oh, the doorbell!" she said, a little more excitedly than normal. "I'd best be off to get it." She jogged to the foyer and threw open the door.

"Lill-ay!" Oliver Oken yelled, opening his arms wide.

Lilly squealed and launched herself at her best friend, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "Ollie, I've missed you!" she said as he ran his hand up and down her back.

"I've missed you, too, Lil!" Oliver replied, holding her tightly to him. After a moment, she dropped to the ground, pulling away from him. As soon as he got a chance to really look at her, he let out a long peal of laughter. "What the hell are you wearing?" he laughed.

"The remnants of my attempt at a homemade apple pie," Lilly replied dryly, crossing her arms across her chest.

Oliver laughed again at her disheveled appearance. She had attempted to control her curly blonde hair by putting it in a bun on top of her head, but several stray curls had fallen into her face. She was wearing an old, gray Seaview High sweatshirt and ripped jeans under a doughy apron that read "Mama Knows Best" and there were splotches of dough and flour in random spots on her body. It was strange to Oliver that she could look so messy and unkempt and to him, she was still the most beautiful girl in the world.

Lilly stuck out her bottom lip and shoved him playfully. "Nothing about this situation is funny, Oliver," she said. "Especially not to Gramma."

"No way!" Oliver exclaimed, placing a hand on Lilly's shoulder as he whirled her around and led her back into the house. "Gramma is here?"

Lilly rolled her eyes. Ever since they had been little kids, Gramma Randall and Oliver had shared some sort of bond. "It's not fair that she likes me better than you," Lilly pouted as she was led into the kitchen.

"Don't be a hater, Lilly," Oliver laughed. "It's not very becoming of you."

The two stepped into the kitchen and Martha looked up from the new apple pie she and Jameson were making. "Oliver Oken!" she exclaimed cheerily, wiping her doughy hands on her apron and wrapping the boy in a tight hug. "How great it is to see you!"

Jameson looked at Lilly and placed a finger to his lips. He tiptoed past her whispering, "Escape while you can!" Lilly giggled and rolled her eyes.

"It's so good to see you, too, Gramma!" Oliver replied. He pulled away from the old lady and placed a hand on Lilly's shoulder. "I hear our Lilly didn't quite inherit the cooking skills you'd hoped she would."

Martha rolled her eyes. "Can't even make a simple apple pie," she sighed. "I guess I have to do everything myself. And I was so hoping to go to bridge club this afternoon. I guess I'll just have to call the girls and-"

"You know," Oliver said, "I hate to brag, but I _am _pretty skilled in the kitchen."

Martha grinned and placed her hands on her hips. She pinched Oliver's nose. "Oliver Oken is there anything you _can't _do?" She laughed and kissed Oliver's cheek as she took off her apron and left the room. "Thanks so much, Oliver!" she called as she left the house.

Lilly, who was sitting on the counter, arms crossed tightly across her chest, stuck out her tongue. "That's so not fair," she protested as Oliver tied Martha's discarded apron around his waist. "_I'm _her grandchild. Doesn't that give me an automatic in?"

Oliver laughed and rolled his eyes. "Do you want to help me?" he asked.

"Are you kidding?"

"No. With my direction and guidance, you'll be Paula Dean in no time." He wiggled his eyebrows up and down and offered her a hand, which she took. He pulled her off of the counter and she scooted so that she was standing very close to him as they read over the recipe. He felt his breath hitch in his throat.

"Are we supposed to make the crust, too?" she whined, pointing at the recipe.

Oliver snapped back into reality. "Wha? No. Gramma already made that. We just have to make the filling."

"Okay," Lilly said. "So, Emeril, what should I do?"

Oliver glanced at the recipe. "Go get me… the sugar, please!"

Lilly saluted him and then went to the cabinet. When she returned, Oliver laughed. "What?" she asked. "What did I do?"

He laughed again. "Is this what you used in the first apple pie?"

She nodded. "Yes. So?"

"It's salt."

Lilly furrowed her eyebrows. And then she laughed. "Are you kidding?" When Oliver shook his head and continued to laugh, she got a mysterious twinkle in her eye. "Well," she said slowly, "I do know a way that we could salt in this pie…"

Oliver began to back up slowly. "I don't like that look in your eye." Dumping the salt into her hand, she launched it at him. He laughed. "Throwing salt at me? Is that the best ya got, Truscott?" He turned around and grabbed the closest container to him: Cool Whip. He threw off the lid and scooped a dollop out with his hand. "There's an important lesson to learn from this, Lillian," he said, watching her eyes grow wide. "You get what you give."

Laughing, he launched the Cool Whip at her. She ducked just as it flew past her head and hit a figure in the doorway. Oliver laughed. Lilly turned around and gasped.

"What's going on, Lilly?" the figure asked.

Lilly glared at Oliver and grabbed a towel, wiping the Cool Whip away. "Sorry, we were just making an apple pie and I thought you were asleep and-"

The figure, a male, wiped the remaining Cool Whip out of his eyes and turned to look at Oliver. "And you are?" he asked.

Oliver looked from Lilly to the man. "I'm… I'm Oliver."

Lilly smiled. "I'm sorry," she said politely. "Oliver, this is Brandon… my… my boyfriend."

**A/N: **I decided to forego the Christmas one-shot and write a Christmas story! I hope you understood that the gang (Lilly, Oliver, etc.) are in college and are seeing each other for the first time at Christmas. Miley and other characters will come in in the next chapters. I hope you liked this! Please review!


	2. Fa La La Lifetime

"I swear to God," Miley drawled slowly, her wide, unblinking eyes glued to the television, "'Fa La La Lifetime' is going to be the death of me."

"Yeah," Jake replied slowly, his eyes also focused on the opening credits of 'Pregnant Teen at Christmas.' "God, these movies are so… _genius._"

"Shh!" Miley said, slapping his hand. "It's starting!"

Miley Stewart and Jake Ryan had succeeded in being "just friends" for about two and a half months. He had come home from Antarctica frostbitten, sick of Mikayla, and missing Miley and they had been together ever since. She was currently splayed across her sofa, her head in his lap, and had been in the same position for the past three "Lifetime" original movies.

A buzzing from the coffee table shook the two out of their trance.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah," Jake groaned. "Who _is _that?"

"Some jerk!"

"Don't they know we're learning important life lessons here?!" Jake yelled, gesturing at the crying teenager on the television screen.

"I'll check it and then turn it off," Miley replied, grudgingly leaning forward to grab her cell phone. She opened it. "It's a text from Oliver," she said.

"Okay, don't talk, just text him back and turn it off," Jake said, his eyes never leaving the television.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh." She opened the text message and read it over several times, her eyebrows creased. "What the heck does this mean?"

Jake sighed and hesitantly tore his eyes away from the television. "'Trouble with a capital T,'" he read out loud. "Maybe he has a sudden interest in old musicals." He shrugged and turned back to the television.

Miley rolled her eyes. '_What do you mean?' _she typed quickly.

Her phone buzzed again a second later. _'Are you at home?'_

She responded. _'Yeah, Jake and I are here… what's going on?'_

'_I'll be over in ten. I've got… news.' _

"Oliver's coming over," Miley announced, tossing the phone onto the coffee table. "So, because I don't want to risk your manly appearance, I'm turning off the TV." She snatched the remote and hit the 'power' button.

Jake hit his forehead with his hand. "Come on! It's just getting to the good part!"

Miley giggled and sat up, pressing a kiss to her boyfriend's cheek. Placing a hand on his chest, she leaned in and whispered, "Don't worry, baby, I Tivo-ed it."

He chuckled and pressed his lips to hers. "Oh, you don't know what you do to me."

Suddenly, the door flew open. "My eyes are closed and you each have ten seconds to pry yourselves away from each other. When I open them, I expect for there to be at least two inches between you."

Groaning, Miley sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. "You can open your eyes, Oliver," she said.

Oliver removed the hand from his eyes and smiled at the couple. "Hello," he said. "Did you two lovebirds miss me while I was gone?" He flopped onto the chair.

"Oliver, you go to school in L.A. We live in L.A." Miley stated plainly. "We see you at least three times a week."

"True," Oliver said. "But there's just something different about seeing each other at home, right?"

Jake scratched his blonde head of hair and shook his head. "No, man, not really."

Oliver sighed. "You two suck the fun out of everything."

There was a moment of silence before Miley spoke. "Um… Oliver?"

He smiled at his Tennessee friend. "Yes?"

Miley scrunched her eyebrows and looked at Jake. "You… I thought that… why the heck did you come over here?"

Oliver sighed. "I was stalling."

Miley smirked at him. "I know."

"It's just that I thought I wanted to talk to you about something but now that I'm actually here I'm not so sure that I-"

Jake laughed. "You're still stalling."

Oliver sighed again. "I know." The two superstars glared at their shaggy-headed friend and he closed his eyes tightly, leaning forward so that his elbows rested on his knees and his head rested in his hands. He sighed for a third time. "Remember the last time we had dinner together in L.A.?" he asked slowly, his head remaining in his hands, his eyes remaining shut. "Remember what we talked about?"

Miley looked confused. "About Lilly?"

Oliver nodded slowly. "Well, I was going to take your advice, Miles," he said. "I had all this romantic stuff planned. I just _knew _that we were going to be together by the end of the break."

Miley took a deep breath, intertwining her fingers with Jake's and squeezing his hand tightly. She had a feeling that she knew where this was going. "And?"

"So, I went to her house today," he said, finally sitting up and looking at his friends.

"And?" Jake prodded.

"_And _it was great. Everything was going great," he said. "We were making a pie and then we started having this little food fight thing…" he trailed off, shaking his head.

"_And?_" Jake and Miley said simultaneously, their knuckles practically turning blue as they squeezed each other's hands.

"And then I hit her boyfriend in the face with Cool Whip." Oliver finished flatly.

"Well, that doesn't sound so bad, Oliver," Miley said, releasing Jake's hand from her death grip and throwing her hands into the air. "The way you were talking, I thought that she had a boyfriend or some- Wait! Smokin' Oken say _what_?"

Oliver shrugged sadly. "She has a boyfriend," he said slowly. "And it's not me."

**A/N: **Sorry it took me so long to update, but I've been in the middle of exams! Thanks so much to all of my FANTASTIC reviewers! It means so much to me! Now that I'm out of school, I will _try _to update more often, but I can't make any promises. Please review! Merry Christmas everyone!


	3. Fettuccine Alfredo

Oliver sat slumped over a glass of wine, quietly singing to himself. "I'll have a blue Christmas without you…" He rubbed his finger around the rim of his glass absentmindedly, his glassy eyes staring off into space.

Jake creased his eyebrows and leaned over to his girlfriend. "He's only taken one sip of that wine, am I correct?" he whispered.

Miley shrugged. "That boy's a crazy," she whispered back, cocking her head to one side as she stared at him. "Maybe we shouldn't even let him have that one glass."

Oliver sighed and sat up. "I know you two are talking about me."

Jake and Miley exchanged a wide-eyed glance. Miley let out a nervous giggle. "Who, us?"

"Yes, _you_," Oliver spat venomously. "And I don't think that it's very nice of you to poke fun at my heartbreak."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Dude, _I'm _the actor. _I'm _supposed to be the melodramatic one."

"Look," Miley sighed, tucking a lock of her wavy brown hair behind her ear, "I'm sure this guy's not that bad." Oliver rolled his eyes and began to protest but Miley held up a perfectly manicured finger, urging him to stay quiet. "_But_," she continued, "We all _know _that our Oliver, here, and our Lilly are meant to be."

Oliver smiled at his friend. "_Thank _you."

"You're welcome," she smiled back. "Now, I suggest that you continue this break as previously planned, before this little," she paused and thought for a moment, "_bump in the road _came into play. You wait out their relationship – it won't last – and when she's in complete _agony _over their _God-awful _break-up, you will swoop in as her knight in shining armor." She smiled at him and cocked an eyebrow. "Do you agree?"

Oliver nodded. "I agree."

"Agree with what?" a breathless Lilly exclaimed, unbuttoning her coat as she reached the table. She smiled at her friends and slid into a chair. "Sorry I'm late," she murmured apologetically. "Brandon and I got, um, caught up talking and…" She trailed off, smiling again and shaking her head. "Sorry," she repeated softly, her cheeks glowing red.

She grabbed a menu from in front of her and started studying it intently. Oliver muttered something incoherent and Lilly looked up at him, an expression of confusion on her face. "Uh, what was that, Ollie?" she asked.

"Nothing, nothing at all," he said, focusing on his menu so intently that he was practically burning a hole.

Miley rolled her eyes at him and turned to Lilly, a smile on her face. "So," she said, wiggling her eyebrows up and down, "When do I get to meet this Brandon?"

Lilly giggled and blushed. Oliver looked at Jake from behind the menu and made a gagging motion with his fingers. Jake rolled his eyes. "Well," Lilly said, "He's parking the car. He should be in soon."

"Awesome," Oliver muttered sarcastically.

"Oliver," Miley whispered, her teeth clenched, "This is not the plan. Remember the plan!"

Oliver sighed. "Sorry, sorry, it's really hard to do."

"Well, keep your big mouth shut!"

"That's really hard to do, too!"

Lilly shot Jake a confused glance as the two argued. "Did I miss something?" she asked slowly.

Jake rolled his eyes. "I've been here the whole time and I'm still confused." He slid his arm around Miley and pulled her close to him. "I find it's best if you just smile, nod, and pretend to understand."

Lilly giggled. "I think that's what I'll do." There was a slight silence before Lilly suddenly stood. "Brandon!" she called, waving. "Brandon, over here!"

Twenty-year-old Brandon Meyers slowly made his way over to the table of friends. Miley studied him as he walked: he was tall and tan with short blonde hair. She leaned over to Oliver. "He's blonde and he has short hair," she whispered. "Lilly's always told me she likes long-haired brunettes." Oliver blushed and elbowed his friend playfully.

Lilly grinned and kissed him on the cheek upon his arrival at the table.

Oliver leaned back over to Miley. "And she hasn't seen him in what? Two whole minutes? You'd think he'd just arrived back from war or something!"

Jake rolled his eyes. "You should seriously consider an acting career," he muttered as Lilly and Brandon sat down.

"Guys," Lilly said excitedly, "This is Brandon Meyers. Brandon, these are my best friends in the world: Jake, Miley and, of course you've already met Oliver."

Brandon nodded hello to each of them. "Nice to finally meet all of you," he said cordially. "Of course, Lill-ay, here, talks about you all so much that I feel like you're all my best friends!"

Oliver's eyes went wide as the familiar nickname fell from "the _enemy's" _lips. Lilly looked at Brandon and then at Oliver quickly and he could've sworn that there was an expression of apology on her face. Miley reached under the table and squeezed Oliver's hand tightly, reminding him to keep his cool.

The awkward silence that loomed over the table was quickly broken when the waiter appeared. "Hello," he said. "Are you ready to order?"

Jake smiled. "Yeah, thanks. I'll have the eggplant parmesan, please."

"I'll have a chicken caesar salad," Miley said when the waiter turned to her.

Oliver turned and grinned at Lilly before he ordered. Tony's had been their favorite restaurant since they were little kids; they always ordered the same thing. "I'll have the fettuccine alfredo, please."

Lilly grinned back and was about to order the same, but Brandon quickly cut in. "I'll have the salmon, and so will she." Lilly was about to protest, but when the waiter turned to her she just smiled and handed him her menu. As Oliver's jaw clenched tighter and tighter, Miley held his hand securely under the table, keeping him calm.

"This is going to be a long night," Oliver muttered, staring at the sickening couple across from him. "A looooong night."

**A/N: **I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Thank you so much for reviewing the last chapter, it really means a lot! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	4. ChChChChanges

Counting sheep was a load of bullshit.

This was something that Lilly had decided long ago. Whoever told some poor, defenseless little kid that counting some creepy farm animal was going to put them to sleep was a big fat liar.

Lilly rolled to her side and glanced at the bright red numbers on her alarm clock. "12:23," she read aloud, rolling back over so that she was lying on her back. She had gotten into her bed at 10:15, the same time Brandon had gotten into his bed in the guest room down the hall and so far she had counted 1037 sheep. "Early to bed, early to rise," he would constantly echo to her. _God, _it was annoying.

"Lilly!" a voice hissed from the doorway and the energetic blonde shot up in her bed and flicked on the lamp beside her.

"Jameson!" she said, clapping her hands together excitedly. "How nice of you to visit me, I-"

Her brother rolled his eyes. "Oliver's outside," he said.

A bemused expression crossed Lilly's face. "Oh," she said. "What does he want?"

Jameson sighed. "I don't know, for you to go talk to him?"

Lilly swung her feet around and stood up, stretching. "Well, did you tell him that I was sleeping?"

"No," Jameson said, smirking at his older sister. "Because you weren't sleeping."

Lilly stuck her tongue out at him as she walked past and skipped down the stairs. Flinging open the front door, she stepped onto the front porch, pulling her sweater tightly around herself. "Hello there, stranger," she said, flopping next to her best friend on the porch swing. "What brings you here?"

Oliver half-smiled at the bubbly blonde and shoved a small, styrofoam box into her hands. "Here," he said, slowly rocking the swing back and forth.

Lilly knitted her eyebrows in confusion as she stared at the box. She opened it slowly and smiled. "Fettuccine," she said softly. She slowly linked her arm through Oliver's and leant her head onto his shoulder. "Oliver, you didn't have to do that, I was fine with what I ate."

"You hate seafood, Lil," Oliver objected softly.

Lilly sighed quietly. "Well," she said, "Maybe I did, yes, but now I-"

"You still hate it," Oliver cut in. "I know you do." He sighed, shaking his head. "You don't have to tell _Brandon, _or whatever. Just take it."

He felt Lilly nod against his shoulder. "Thank you, Ollie," she whispered. There was a moment of silence before Lilly cleared her throat. "I was asleep when you knocked, you know," she said. "Otherwise I would've answered the door."

Oliver glanced at his watch and chuckled softly. "You weren't asleep," he said.

Lilly sat up and stuck her lower lip out. "Was too," she argued.

"Lilly Truscott, you have not gone to bed before two a.m. since we were three-years-old," Oliver shot back, shoving her playfully.

"Yes, well, Brandon says that-"

"Oh, well if Brandon says it, it must be true," Oliver scoffed, his mood suddenly turning sour.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I've never known you to change because someone told you to," Oliver said, standing up so that he was turned away from his friend. He ran a hand through his brown hair and turned around, anger in his eyes. "But then again," he added, "I've never known you to like seafood or go to bed early, either."

"Okay, you're being ridiculous," Lilly said. "Is this why you came over here? To yell at me?"

"No!" Oliver sighed. "Sorry, I just…" he trailed off and came so that he was kneeling in front of her, taking her hands in his. "You don't need to change for a guy, Lilly," he said softly. "There will be plenty of nice guys who like you the way you are and-"

"You don't know Brandon, Oliver!" Lilly squealed, yanking her hands away from him and standing up. "Brandon _is _nice and Brandon _does _like me the way I am."

"Then why are you changing?"

"You wouldn't understand, Oliver," Lilly seethed quietly. "Just don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"You're my best friend in the world, Lilly," Oliver said softly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Please tell me that's one thing that will never change."

It was silent for several moments and Lilly felt like she couldn't breathe. Pressing her eyes tightly shut, she finally let out a deep, shuddering breath. "You should go home, Oliver," she whispered. "It's late."

Oliver nodded. "Fine," he murmured softly. "If this is the way you want it to be, that's perfectly fine." Shaking his head with a mix of anger and sadness, he stomped off of the porch and into the darkness.

Lilly let out a sob. "Thank you for the fettuccine!" she called, hoping it would bring him back.

Oliver responded with silence.


	5. Christmas Ruiner

Lilly Truscott fell into the church pew. Feeling her back hit the wood, she slid down and crossed her arms across her chest until she looked successfully unhappy and pouty.

Heather Truscott sat delicately in the seat next to her daughter and jabbed her hand in between Lilly's shoulder blades causing Lilly to yelp quietly and jump so that she was sitting straight. "Sit up straight, Lillian," Heather hissed into her daughter's ear. Lilly huffed and rolled her eyes, falling back against the back of the pew as soon as she felt her mother's hand leave her back. "Look," Heather whispered, "I don't know where this sudden bad attitude has come from, but I am not about to let you ruin Christmas Eve. So suck it up, sit up straight, and put a smile on your pretty little face." Lilly rolled her eyes once more and sat up slightly.

"Heather! Merry Christmas!" Lilly's, Heather's, Jameson's, and Gramma Randall's eyes all snapped up to see Mrs. Petunia Oken shuffling toward them, her husband Carl, daughters Olivia and Ophelia, and Oliver following closely at her heels. Only Lilly noticed how Oliver's hands were clasped tightly behind his back (something she knew to be a nervous habit) and how his big brown eyes were downcast.

Heather Truscott stood up and gave her close friend a hug. "Petunia! Merry Christmas to you as well! Come sit with us!" The Oken family slowly shuffled into the pew with the Truscotts. As Oliver began to walk to the opposite end of the pew, Heather put a hand on his arm. "Oliver, don't be silly!" she laughed, scooting down slightly. "You sit next to Lilly!"

Oliver's and Lilly's eyes met briefly and Lilly felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she quickly averted her gaze. Oliver sighed and smiled at Lilly's mother. "Thanks, Mrs. T," he said softly, slowly lowering himself onto the pew.

Heather patted Oliver's arm affectionately and leaned over. "Maybe you can snap her out of this funk," she whispered as the organist began to play. "Something's been bothering her today and its beginning to ruin our Christmas!"

"So, Lilly," Petunia said as the two families exited the sanctuary. She linked arms with the girl and smiled at her. "I've heard through the grapevine that you've got yourself a new boyfriend!"

Lilly blushed and let out a nervous giggle. "Uh, yes," she said. "His name's Brandon."

"And where is this boy tonight, Lilly?" Carl asked from behind the two.

Lilly sighed. "At our house. He… doesn't do church."

Martha Randall visibly shuddered at her granddaughter's words and cleared her throat as the group reached the lobby. "Well," she sighed. "I am just too tired to go to your party, Heather."

"Oh, Mom, really?" Heather asked. "Are you sure?"

Martha pursed her lips and nodded definitively. "An old bag like me can't party into the wee hours like you young folks," she laughed.

Heather smiled and sighed, pressing a quick kiss to her mother's cheek. She glanced at her watch. "Well," she said, "I'm afraid I have to go on back to the house. Lilly, could you take Gramma home?"

Lilly, who had been in somewhat of a trancelike state, suddenly snapped to attention. "What?" she squeaked. "But that will take me at least an hour!"

Heather sighed tiredly. "Lilly, I really do have to get home, please just do this for me. Brandon will be fine without you for a little while longer."

Lilly groaned. "Well, I-"

"Oliver can go with you, Lilly!" Petunia squealed, clasping her hands together excitedly. "It will be an adventure!"

Oliver, who had also been in a daze, snapped to attention as well. "What? I don't know if that's such a good…"

"It's decided, then," Heather smiled, pinching Oliver's cheek. "You two take Gramma home and then come back to the party. Ciao!"

And before any more protests could be made, the Oken and Truscott clans had left their eldest children standing in the church lobby with an elderly woman in between them.

Thirty minutes later, Martha Randall was tucked safely and securely into her small home and Lilly and Oliver were back on the road. On the trip to her house, rain had started to sprinkle and now, it was pouring.

"Jesus," Oliver remarked, his hand gripping the dashboard tightly. "Slow down."

They were the first words to be uttered between the two all night. Lilly snapped her head to the side quickly to glare at her friend. "Oh, what," she scoffed. "Has Brandon changed my driving habits, too?"

Oliver rolled his eyes. Although he appeared calm and collected, he was actually freaking out on the inside. Lilly was driving like a maniac and they were in a stretch of no where between Martha's small town and their own neighborhood. He watched his knuckles turn white as his grip grew tighter and tighter. "Lilly, seriously," he said, a little of his nervousness spilling into his speech, "Slow down. This has nothing to do with Brandon, okay? I just want to make it home alive."

"You know what you are, Oliver?" Lilly shrieked, making no attempt to slow down the car.

"A guy who wants to see his nineteenth birthday? A guy who really hopes that we run into a cop looking for speeders?"

Lilly briefly took a hand off of the steering wheel (much to Oliver's dismay) to punch her friend in the shoulder. "No," she said. "You are a Scrooge. A Grinch. An all-around holiday ruin-er."

Oliver's jaw dropped as he glared at the maniac behind the wheel. "Oh, you did not just go there!"

"I only speak the truth."

"Even if I was a so-called 'holiday ruin-er,' which I most certainly am not, I would just like to point out that both the Grinch _and _Scrooge end up as holiday enthusiasts at the end of the stories."

"Well… I… You…" Lilly stammered, her face flushing. "Yeah, well you don't get the happy ending. In your story Tiny Tim _dies _and Cindy-Lou-Who _never sees presents on Christmas morning._"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Oliver exclaimed. "You can't just go killing off Tiny Tim! That is cruel and heartless. Maybe _you're _the Christmas ruin-er!"

"_I _am more like a Christmas elf of joy and love!"

"Liar! Not nice Scrooge!"

"Am not! Jerk-face Grinch!"

"Oh, yeah? Well you're a… Lilly, WATCH OUT!"


	6. Love You

"_Even if I was a so-called 'holiday ruin-er,' which I most certainly am not, I would just like to point out that both the Grinch and Scrooge end up as holiday enthusiasts at the end of the stories."_

"_Well… I… You…" Lilly stammered, her face flushing. "Yeah, well you don't get the happy ending. In your story Tiny Tim dies and Cindy-Lou-Who never sees presents on Christmas morning."_

"_Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Oliver exclaimed. "You can't just go killing off Tiny Tim! That is cruel and heartless. Maybe you're the Christmas ruin-er!"_

"_I am more like a Christmas elf of joy and love!"_

"_Liar! Not nice Scrooge!"_

"_Am not! Jerk-face Grinch!"_

"_Oh, yeah? Well you're a… Lilly, WATCH OUT!"_

Lilly screamed as she snapped her eyes back to the road and saw the deer standing in the middle of it. She slammed her foot down on the brake and gripped the steering wheel tightly as the car began to spin out of control. Oliver reached over and both of their hands were on the steering wheel in an attempt to control the car. They both screamed as the car ran off of the road and hit a muddy patch of grass on the side of the road. It came to a quick stop when it hit a tree.

The airbags deployed and the car was silent, apart from the friends' heavy breathing and the noisy falling of the rain outside.

After a moment, Oliver pushed his airbag down, taking a shaky breath and turning to his friend. "Are… Are you okay, Lilly?" he asked unsteadily.

Lilly gulped. "I… I think so. Are you?"

Oliver nodded. "Yeah, yeah," he said, though the tone of his voice did not exactly give off the coolness he was attempting to portray. "Fine."

There was a moment of silence again. "Should I call my mom?" Lilly asked.

"That'd probably be good," Oliver said. "No one's going to come through here on Christmas Eve, she can come pick us up."

Lilly nodded in agreement and pulled out her cell phone. She groaned as she looked at its screen. "No service," she muttered. "Try yours."

Oliver reached into his pocket and dug out his cell phone. He groaned as he flipped it open. "Me neither."

"We're going to die!" Lilly squealed, slamming her head onto the steering wheel. "We're going to die and it's _all your fault."_

Oliver's eyes went wide as he turned in bewilderment to the girl sitting next to him. "Are you freaking kidding me? You're the maniac driver in this situation."

"Yes, Oliver, but I am only a maniac driver when provoked. And I most definitely did not provoke myself."

Oliver glared at the girl for a moment. "Unbelievable," he muttered, throwing his car door open. "You are unbelievable, Lilly." He threw his seat belt off and stepped into the rain.

Lilly flinched as the door slammed. "What just happened?" she muttered, watching Oliver's retreating figure. When had their playful banter turned into a full-blown, feelings hurt fight? What had happened to them? Sighing, Lilly zipped up her jacket and threw open her car door, jogging after Oliver. "Oliver!" she called, though it didn't elicit a response. "Come on, Oliver, wait!"

Oliver stopped in his tracks but did not turn around. Lilly caught up to him and waited for him to speak. He looked at her for a long moment, his eyes full of hurt before he finally spoke. "We should find a phone," he said softly.

Lilly nodded and the two began to head down the road, the rain drenching their bodies. After several minutes of complete silence, they reached a gas station and headed toward a pay phone. Lilly inserted some change and called her mother.

"Hello?"

"Mom, hi, it's me."

"Lilly, dear, where _are _you? It's raining really hard out there. I'm not sure it's even safe to be driving, let alone talking on the phone _while _driving."

"I'm not driving."

"Oh, Oliver is? Well, are you almost home?"

Lilly sighed. "No. We hit a tree, Mom. The roads are really slick and a deer came out of nowhere and we had no cell phone service and so we had to walk like a mile and a half to find a gas station and use this pay phone." She took a deep breath. "Look, point is, we're stuck in the middle of nowhere."

"Oh my, are you alright?"

"Fine, we're fine. The car's not fine, but we are."

"Well, should I come get you?"

"That would be pointless. The roads are really dangerous right now, hence the wreck. We aren't that far from Gramma's, we can just walk back and crash there for the night. We'll drive Gramma's car over tomorrow morning and we can call a tow truck then, too."

"Are you sure you're safe walking back there? I'm not so sure…"

"I'll be fine, Mom. Oliver's here."

Heather sighed. "Alright. Call me when you get to Gramma's. I love you."

"Bye, Mom. Love you, too."

Lilly hung up the phone and sniffed, turning to Oliver. "So, is that okay? Going back to Gramma's?"

Oliver shrugged. "Fine. Let's just go." He took off down the road and Lilly had to jog to keep up with him.

She walked a few moments in silence before the groaned in frustration. "Okay, Oliver, this is ridiculous. We _never _fight. Why are we starting now?"

Oliver shrugged and continued to walk.

"Come _on, _Oliver," Lilly pleaded, wrapping her hand around his elbow. "Please talk to me. I hate fighting."

Oliver shrugged again, staring at the ground as he walked. "Me too," he said.

"Then why are we doing it? Why are we fighting? Whatever started this fight doesn't matter, Ollie, let's just forget it."

"I _can't _forget it, Lil," Oliver said, shaking his head.

"Why? Oliver, please."

"This fight started because I'm in love with you!" Oliver yelled throwing his hands into the air. "I am head-over-heels, can't stop thinking about you, have been, always will be in love with you. And I can't just forget that, no matter how hard I try."

Lilly stopped walking, her mouth slightly open.

Oliver pressed his eyes tightly together. "Shit, I'm sorry, Lilly. I didn't mean to say that, I-"

But before he could finish, Lilly's hands had grabbed his face and pulled him toward her, their lips crashing together. He grinned against her lips and snaked his hands around her waist. She pulled back hesitantly, blushing like crazy. "Did you mean that?" she whispered. "Did you mean what you said?"

He nodded. "You're amazing, Lilly. I love you so, so much."

She pressed another kiss to his lips. "I love you, too."

**A/N: **NOT THE END! I don't think, anyway. Thank you so much for reviewing! Always _greatly _appreciated!


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